Faces
by Huntress of the Night
Summary: A boy has a dream of love, but never sees the girl's face. . . The first mission is completed and one is revealed! 12 UP! (Summary sucks, please just read.)
1. Dream

FACES  
  
(A/N: This starts romantic, but the plot, mystery, and mostly angst starts next chapter, so don't base the whole thing on this: it really changes direction.)  
  
~+~  
  
He walked towards her and cupped her delicate chin in his hand. "I will never let that happen to you."  
  
Tears rose to her eyes: tears of joy and sadness, tears of everything she ever felt. Tears she had kept in for so long. Tears that could not be held in anymore.  
  
He held her in his arms, feeling her soft sobbing into his robes, which he whispered reassurances in her ear. They stayed that way for the longest time.  
  
-----  
  
He woke up from his dream. He could still feel her eyes boring into his, searching his soul for something, anything. He could feel her tears, her soft sobs, her gentle weeping as he held her fast in his arms. But he never saw . . .  
  
He never saw her face.  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	2. Stranger

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
"When nothing waits before you.  
  
When nothing lies behind you.  
  
You are alone.  
  
When nothing greets you.  
  
When nothing watches you breathe.  
  
You are alone.  
  
When nothing moves around you.  
  
When nothing seems to care.  
  
That is when  
  
You stand  
  
Alone."  
  
Hermione Granger closed her eyes and felt the applause wash over her, waves of cheering cleansing her doubt. Opening her cinnamon eyes, she looked over the faces. The faces; the ones that had deep wells for eyes; the ones that wore serious expressions. Every person in there knew what she was talking about. Every person.  
  
Betrayal.  
  
-----  
  
A man stood in the back. His long black cloak covered his face. This girl . . . this girl was powerful. She had something he had not heard in a long time. She was not afraid to tell the truth. She was not afraid to embrace the terror. She was ready to go on, to face the emotions that kept her back all these years.  
  
She was ready to kill.  
  
----  
  
"You think like we do," he said.  
  
Hermione looked up. A strange man was talking to her.  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
"No," he said from beneath his black cloak. "But you might . . . soon. Come with me. I will show you the way to being happy, to letting go."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"A chance to revisit some old friends."  
  
"Do you expect me to trust you?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Should I?"  
  
"That, my child," he said mysteriously, "is for you to decide."  
  
-----  
  
Hermione followed him into the cold, damp night.  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	3. Robes of Black

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
Hermione reached into her purse and touched her gun and her wand. She had carried them with her ever since the incident.  
  
"You have no need to use magic. Or a gun," the man said without ever looking back.  
  
"How did ---" Hermione began to ask. She stopped. It seemed to be in his nature to know what others were doing.  
  
The man glanced back at her. He was grinning.  
  
"What should I call you?" Hermione asked him.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"What should I call you? Everyone has a name."  
  
"What's yours?"  
  
"I asked you first."  
  
The man bowed his head. "They call me Duat. What is your name, child?"  
  
Hermione searched in her head for something. She did not want to use her real name. It may lead her into too much trouble. "Sango," she blurted out, thinking of Inuyasha, her favorite anime.  
  
"Well then, Sango," the man said, sounding amused, "welcome."  
  
'I could have come up with a better name than that . . .' Hermione thought. 'Sango? Jesus that's sad . . .'  
  
"Sango. Put this on. No one can see your face after you are led in," Duat explained, handing her a coat similar to his. Hermione realized he had led her to a large building. The doors loomed before her.  
  
Hermione carefully took the coat and put it on. Surprisingly, she could see through the hood, though she could not see through anyone else's.  
  
"Duat?"  
  
"Yes?" he said, turning around.  
  
"What is this place?"  
  
"You will see . . ."  
  
"Are you --- are you Death Eaters?"  
  
"No, child . . . Is there something else?"  
  
"Yes; call me Ran."  
  
Duat chuckled. "Ran . . . goddess of the drowned. Come."  
  
He led her swiftly into a large room. A circle was formed, of those in the dark robes. Duat stood at the front. "Meet Ran. She may join us." He motioned for her to sit next to him.  
  
"Shinigami. Honir."  
  
Two robed figures stood up. "Honir, take Ran to the Chamber. Shinigami, come with me."  
  
The robed figured nodded and Duat looked at Hermione. "Ran. You shall be safe with them. Do not worry, we mean you no harm. Only truth . . . only truth."  
  
-----  
  
Hermione was led into a large room equipped with two chairs.  
  
"Wait here," Honir said. The deep voice came far from beneath the hood. He went to stand by the door.  
  
"Am I allowed to sit?" Hermione called.  
  
Honir nodded.  
  
'Not much for talk in this place, are they?' she thought, sitting down. The black chairs were surprisingly comfortable. Everything in the room was black.  
  
'So happy . . .' she mused. 'So just like me.'  
  
-----  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Yes, Shinigami?" Duat responded commandingly.  
  
Shinigami bowed his head. "Sir, are you sure about this Ran? Is she really one of us?"  
  
"She may grow to be, Shinigami. And that is all you need to know."  
  
"But, sir . . . she reminds me of someone. And I know that person would never fit in with us."  
  
"But is she that person?"  
  
"Well, I don't ---"  
  
"You don't know, do you? You don't know her . . ."  
  
Shinigami looked at the hem of his robes. "No, sir."  
  
"You have not heard her poetry. It describes us. She is one of us. I can sense it."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"You will see, child. Soon, you will see . . ."  
  
~+~  
  
(Duat = Hell in Egyptian Mythology)  
  
(Ran = Goddess of the Drowned in Norse Mythology)  
  
(Shinigami = God of Death in Japanese)  
  
(A/N: I must also add that I do not own Gundam Wing, and the only similarity between this story and Gundam Wing is the use of the name "Shinigami." Shinigami cannot be compared to Duo Maxwell in any way and clues to his identity are not given in Duo's character. ^_^ )  
  
(Honir = God of Silence in Norse Mythology)  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	4. Vengeance

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
"Shinigami."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"To relax your mind, go explain Vengeance to her. You will see her true spirit: her true fierceness." Duat looked up at his young follower.  
  
"Yes, sir." Shinigami left quietly.  
  
Duat sighed. Shinigami came to him only a year ago. He was troubled, hurt, pained. Duat found him with a dagger above his wrist. Duat barely saved him, only with the promise of bringing pain to his betrayers first. He was saved, but only just. His past still haunted him; Duat knew, though Shinigami tried to hide it desperately. So desperately.  
  
Duat watched Shinigami's retreating back. His perfect soldier . . .  
  
-----  
  
Hermione sat quietly in the black chamber. She turned to see another black- robed man walk through the door, dismissing the other.  
  
"Hello, Ran."  
  
"Hello . . ." Hermione said questioningly.  
  
"I am Shinigami. It is Japanese for God of Death."  
  
"I'm sure," Hermione said sarcastically. She felt his eyebrows raise from beneath his hood, amused. It disturbed her that she could notice this. Brushing the feeling away, she continued. "Where is Duat?"  
  
"He decided to let me explain our humble facility to you."  
  
"I see . . ." Hermione felt his eyes upon her. "Go ahead, no one's stopping you."  
  
Shinigami glared at her. "Each of us has been betrayed. We are loners. Never feeling like we are part of something; never feeling like we have any friends.  
  
"And thus we founded Vengeance."  
  
"Vengeance?" Hermione looked up.  
  
Shinigami smiled. "Yes. Vengeance.  
  
"They helped us. They helped us regain our strength; double it. They helped us embrace our emotions, our feelings. Pain, anger, hurt, desperation. They helped us realize that it wasn't us. They helped us destroy the fear we had. They helped us get back at the ones who betrayed us. They helped us move on."  
  
His voice grew quiet. "They helped me move on."  
  
Hermione stared at him. This was visibly painful, but it was obvious he needed to relive the past, to let it go. According to him, that's what this place was about . . . they hadn't helped him fight his demons yet.  
  
She was about to ask him more about his past when Shinigami briskly continued, "We are only a piece of a larger organization, but we cannot explain that to you until you have joined."  
  
"I see . . ." Hermione mused. This man . . . this man was strange. He understood her. He had his own demons however. She had to help him fight them.  
  
"Are you ready to join us?"  
  
-----  
  
Shinigami looked at her through his dark black hood. She was considering the possibility, considering her life, considering the outcome.  
  
He widened his eyes. She was considering him.  
  
For the first time, he saw her strength, her unique qualities. Only Duat had seen this, but Shinigami finally did. She does belong. But would she?  
  
-----  
  
"May I sleep on it?"  
  
Shinigami looked up, surprised. "What?"  
  
"May I sleep on it?" Hermione repeated.  
  
"Er, yes, I suppose," Shinigami said, regaining composure. "But you now know our ways. We cannot let you be alone. You may alert other parties to our presence, our ways. Stay a bit longer, and I will talk with Duat about this."  
  
Hermione snorted at the secrecy. "Fine, I'll wait."  
  
Shinigami stared at her. She had been betrayed so much, and yet she was still able to joke, and laugh, and even smile.  
  
"What are you looking at?" Hermione said uncomfortably. She could feel him probing her.  
  
"Nothing," Shinigami answered quickly, standing to leave. "I will talk with Duat . . . just wait here."  
  
He strode quickly out of the room and commanded Honir, the guard, to watch the door. "Carefully," he added with another thought about how odd the girl was. "Very carefully."  
  
-----  
  
"Did you see?"  
  
Shinigami jumped at Duat's voice as he simply walked into the room. "Yes. I saw."  
  
"She is one of us."  
  
"Yes, sir. She is."  
  
"Yet she did not join."  
  
"How could you tell?"  
  
"That is my secret, and only mine . . . why did you come?"  
  
"I told her everything. We cannot risk her telling anyone else."  
  
"And you do not want her to go home, in fear that we may be discovered."  
  
Shinigami gulped. "Yes, sir."  
  
Duat sat in silence for a time before saying softly. "Shinigami, escort her home. I believe she may join soon. She will not tell. But for your benefit, escort her to her home, so you know she is safe."  
  
-----  
  
"Ran."  
  
Hermione jumped. She had sat in silence for some time. But they were not talking to her . . .  
  
"Ran."  
  
Hermione suddenly remembered that 'Ran' was her given name here. "Yes?" she said, turning to face the black-cloaked individual at the door.  
  
It was Honir, the man waiting at the door. He smiled from beneath his cloak. "You will get used to it."  
  
"Get used to what?"  
  
"Your new name."  
  
Hermione shivered. "You mean --- how did you know it was not my true name?"  
  
"No one ever gives their real name."  
  
"Honir is not your real name?" Hermione questioned.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"What is your real name?"  
  
"That, Ran," he said, grinning at her, "is forbidden."  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	5. Apartment

FACES  
  
-----  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other place or reference in this. All places, names, etc. are fictional and do not have any relationship to things in real life.  
  
-----  
  
Artesania has told me that the timeframe of this story is confusing. Thank you Arty! Actually, this all happens after Hogwarts . . . Hermione should be in her mid-twenties.  
  
-----  
  
With the release of the Order of the Phoenix, I have been able to add more characters; however, I am not sure if I will do that. Also, this has nothing to do with the Order of the Phoenix and Vengeance is nothing like the Order itself. Also, this was not inspired by the Order of the Phoenix at all, considering that it was created a month beforehand.  
  
~+~  
  
Shinigami walked into the room. Hermione sat, cloak covering her face, waiting. Honir left as Shinigami sat down in front of her.  
  
"Where do you live?"  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Why?"  
  
"I was told to take you home."  
  
Hermione glanced at him oddly. She said slowly, "I live off of Tinan Street."  
  
Shinigami stood up. "Then that is where we will go. Come, Ran."  
  
Hermione stood up, shivering. His voice had grown cold, as had the room. Yet she followed him to a black car waiting. Climbing into the passenger seat, she watched as Shinigami pulled out a key and sat down beside her.  
  
He glanced at her. "What are you looking at?"  
  
"You."  
  
-----  
  
Shinigami raised his eyebrows slightly, surprised at her blunt answer. They had a connection, though he did not know why. "You were looking at me?"  
  
"Yes; is that so hard to believe?"  
  
Shinigami remained quiet, simply driving in the now pouring rain. After a time, he said simply, "Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why were you looking at me?"  
  
Hermione looked down. "You have yet to fight."  
  
-----  
  
Hermione watched as Shinigami entered confusion again. He did not realize how painfully clear it was to her that he had suffered so much torture, and yet his revenge did not cure it. His innermost ache was lucid through his boundaries, his cloak, and his frigid, stony features.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Shinigami looked up, staring at her, eyes wide. "What do you mean, what happened?"  
  
"You said everyone was betrayed . . . what happened to you?"  
  
Shinigami kept her eyes upon the road. "Only Duat can know that."  
  
"I will tell you what happened to me," Hermione offered.  
  
Shinigami continued focusing on the street in front of them. "I cannot ignore Duat's rules."  
  
Hermione gazed at him for a minute, and then turned away. "Fine."  
  
-----  
  
What did this girl think she was doing, asking him about his betrayal? It was forbidden. Not allowed. Unthinkable.  
  
And who did she think she was, expecting him to pour his heart for her? If there was one thing he learned, he would never, ever trust anyone.  
  
Ever.  
  
But . . . why was he so tempted to trust her?  
  
-----  
  
"It's here."  
  
Hermione pointed at her apartment building. Shinigami silently pulled over and walked her to her door.  
  
Hermione looked at him for a minute; or, rather, looked at the hood of his cloak. "In some cultures, something is supposed to happen here."  
  
"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"  
  
Hermione glared at him. "No. I suppose not."  
  
"Remember not to tell anybody anything."  
  
"I won't." Hermione cocked her head. "You're freezing, aren't you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said, you're freezing. Aren't you?"  
  
"I suppose."  
  
"Shinigami," Hermione scolded, rolling her eyes. "Come in."  
  
He followed her silently up the stairs into her apartment, only to find a place neat, but with notebooks strewn everywhere. Glancing at the page open in one, he saw a poem she had written.  
  
I can feel the snowflakes on my cheek  
  
Looking around I see them everywhere  
  
A blanket of white in the cold  
  
Harsh  
  
Winter.  
  
Shadows of who I once was  
  
Linger here  
  
Reminding me of the past  
  
I brush away  
  
Every  
  
Day.  
  
The blanket of snow embraces me  
  
Fits around me  
  
Before it takes me  
  
Chokes me  
  
Kills me.  
  
My remnants of the past.  
  
Shinigami looked at the girl, her black robes covering her face. How could one so pure, so . . . happy, even, write something so sad?  
  
A little of me is taken every day  
  
Consumed by trying to take back what I had  
  
But I know it's impossible  
  
But I keep trying  
  
Pointlessly.  
  
I know it's been taken  
  
I know I've been taken  
  
And I know it's never coming back.  
  
Never.  
  
Shinigami stared at her again. She . . . wrote this?  
  
Traitor  
  
I can feel your breath upon my neck  
  
Traitor  
  
I can feel your blood upon my hands  
  
Traitor  
  
I can feel your heartbeat in my head  
  
Traitor  
  
I can feel your movement in my mind  
  
Traitor  
  
I don't know how you face yourself  
  
You  
  
Traitor.  
  
Shinigami gazed at Ran/Hermione. She wrote all of this. He felt all of this. How could she put it so perfectly into words?  
  
"You wrote all of this?"  
  
Ran/Hermione looked at him from under her cloak. "Yes. It's just scribbles that I do in my spare time."  
  
"These are . . . amazing."  
  
"Thanks. I say some of them at poetry readings, trying to make a little extra money. It helps --- some."  
  
"Wow . . ."  
  
Ran/Hermione glanced at him. "What?"  
  
"This is . . ." He looked at the odd gaze she was giving him. "Never mind."  
  
"You can stay here until the rain lets up."  
  
"That will probably be all night."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And we're not allowed to see each other's faces."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Then how ---"  
  
"Just shut up and have some coffee, Shinigami," Ran/Hermione said, smiling, handing him a coffee mug.  
  
Shinigami gazed at her. 'Who was this girl?' he thought. 'She's so strange, so different . . . so much like her. So much like her.'  
  
Ran/Hermione sat down. "So are you ready to talk now?"  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	6. Recognize

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
Honir walked silently to his room in the building of the Vengeance. 'Duat was entirely right to bring her here. She belongs here with us.'  
  
Sighing, Honir took off his robe and looked in the mirror. There . . . there was the face belonging to the identity he had discarded long ago. The face . . .  
  
'The only bad thing about this is not being able to see anybody's face. All of these people remind me of somebody . . . just who? I cannot remember . . . I am not allowed . . . but who are they?'  
  
Suddenly, the answer came to him . . . could Ran really be . . . Hermione?  
  
-----  
  
Shinigami jumped. "Talk about what?"  
  
"Just talk."  
  
Shinigami sat down on Hermione's/Ran's run-down and surprisingly comfortable couch. "Alright."  
  
"Look, it's painfully obvious that you haven't gotten rid of your problems yet. Can't I help?"  
  
"Shut up," Shinigami muttered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I SAID SHUT UP!"  
  
Ran/Hermione bit her lip and said under her breath, "Very obvious indeed."  
  
"You don't know me. You can't help me!"  
  
"But I can know you . . . if you let me."  
  
-----  
  
Shinigami felt his eyes grow wide. No one had ever said that . . . or anything like that. "Don't say that!"  
  
Ran was confused. Shinigami could see it . . . or rather, he could sense it.  
  
"Look," he tried to explain. "I --- I just don't trust anybody."  
  
'They why are you so tempted?' the voice in the back of his head said softly, slyly. He pushed it away.  
  
"I don't want to know anybody! I don't want anybody to know me."  
  
'Ah, but you want her to know you, do you not?'  
  
"I --- I just can't, alright?"  
  
Ran gazed at him for a second, then stood and walked over to sit beside him. "I know your pain. And you know mine. Can you not allow us to help each other?"  
  
'I can but I'm too stubborn to agree with it no matter how interesting I think it would be,' the voice said sarcastically.  
  
Shinigami finally yelled in his mind for the voice to shut up. It did. But what it said still rung in his mind . . . too stubborn? Or too scared?  
  
-----  
  
Honir stared at the mirror in his room at his face, not seeing it. Only seeing the Hermione he once knew, only thinking of the Ran he knew now.  
  
'It is her . . . but she had to have been betrayed to make her . . . like us. Like this!'  
  
His mind grew more and more angry every moment he thought of her.  
  
'I am going on the mission with her. I have to make the person who did this to her pay. For her. For revenge.  
  
'For the person she once was.'  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	7. In Someone's Arms

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
"I am sorry, Shinigami, for whatever pain you have had . . . but let me help you."  
  
Shinigami closed his eyes tightly. He felt his old pain washing over him, submerging him in his old misery, his old anger. His old life. The one he had abandoned.  
  
"You can't help me. No one can help me."  
  
"Let me." Hermione/Ran looked at him deeply. "Watch me."  
  
Shinigami felt tears rise. This girl . . . this girl wanted to help him . . . to know him.  
  
Shinigami gazed at her then took her into his arms. "I want you to help me. But you can't. I can't let you help me."  
  
"Yes you can, Shinigami. Yes you can."  
  
-----  
  
Nyx glided through the hallways to Duat's room. She saw him, bent over his work. She could sense his tired eyes skimming through the many papers cluttering up his desk. She knocked softly on the door.  
  
Duat looked up. "Ah, Nyx. Come in, daughter."  
  
Nyx strode into the room gracefully, head held high, black robes falling elegantly to the floor. "Duat? Who was that girl who came here?"  
  
"Oh, Ran?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Duat looked at Nyx harshly. "You, of all people, Nyx, should know that I am not permitted to reveal identities or difficulties. You know I cannot tell you."  
  
"I am sorry, Duat; but I must know."  
  
"You do not need to know, Nyx."  
  
"She is familiar to us all, Duat. Who is she?"  
  
"I cannot ---" Duat hesitated. "Us all?"  
  
Nyx bowed her head. "We all know her. We have all felt it. Honir has recognized her. Shinigami refuses to feel it. Who is she?"  
  
"I did not recognize her."  
  
"She has changed greatly in appearance, Duat, that is to be expected. But I, for one, recognize her soul."  
  
-----  
  
Honir ran his hands through his hair. This girl . . . she was Hermione! But . . . how would she be one of them? She wasn't betrayed. Not like he had been  
  
Honir narrowed his eyes at the memories that came rushing back. Shaking his head, he forced himself to remember: he had forsaken that identity. That was not his past anymore. He was not that person anymore. He was different.  
  
'Yeah, different,' he thought. 'But how . . . ?'  
  
-----  
  
Hermione opened her eyes and looked at the clock. "Holy crap!" she exclaimed, feeling the black fabric covering her face. It was already early in the morning, and she had to go to her job. 'Yeah, and what a wonderful job it is,' she thought, grabbing her things.  
  
'I --- I fell asleep in Shinigami's arms,' she realized. 'Wow . . .'  
  
"Ran?"  
  
Hermione looked up to see Shinigami watching her from beneath his hood. 'Honir was right, I am getting used to being called Ran.'  
  
"Thank you." Shinigami stood up and quietly walked out of the door.  
  
Hermione was confused. She had spent all night in a guy's arms, and he just walks out the door? And . . . all night in a guy's arms . . . and this was Shinigami. Not somebody else she would have expected.  
  
Pushing it to the back of her mind, Hermione went off to work. When she came home, she flipped to an empty page in her notebook.  
  
I can feel his heart beating  
  
I can feel him thinking  
  
He lies next to me  
  
And I wait for him to speak  
  
But he never does  
  
And I wait for him to unmask himself  
  
To reveal himself  
  
Who he really is  
  
But he never does  
  
And never will  
  
Forever, he will remain  
  
Faceless.  
  
I wish I could help him see  
  
I wish he would let me near him  
  
To hold him  
  
To help him  
  
To be with him through the storm  
  
But he won't  
  
Let anyone in  
  
Even if they try to help him  
  
But they will never help him  
  
Or even see his face  
  
Forever, he will remain  
  
Faceless.  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	8. Mission

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
Shinigami drove back in silence. How could he have done that? He had opened his heart, and given his trust. He thought he had learned never to do that. Ever.  
  
Silently, Shinigami entered the building only to find Nyx waiting. Nyx, named after the Norse Goddess of the Night. Nyx, the most despised Agent of Vengeance.  
  
"Duat wants to see you."  
  
Shinigami sighed. "Just as I expected."  
  
He followed her to the large circular room Duat occupied during the day.  
  
Nyx said softly, "Duat. Shinigami has returned."  
  
"Yes, Nyx. Thank you."  
  
Shinigami kept his eyes on the floor as Duat walked towards him.  
  
"Where were you?"  
  
"At Ran's home, sir."  
  
"Why did it take all night?"  
  
"Sir, I fell asleep. I did not mean to."  
  
"Did you see her?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Did you find out who she was?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Did you recognize her?"  
  
"No, sir." Shinigami blinked. "Wait, how could I recognize her? Do I somehow know her?"  
  
"I do not know, Shinigami," Duat said, sighing heavily. "I do not know . . . Did you exchange secrets at all?"  
  
Shinigami gulped. "No, sir."  
  
"Good. You may leave."  
  
Shinigami did not move.  
  
"What else do you have to say, child?"  
  
"Sir . . . why would I recognize her?"  
  
Duat was silent before deciding he could trust Shinigami. "People have recognized her."  
  
"What? Who?"  
  
"Some Agents have recognized her. I did not know if you would or would not. That is simply why I asked. Is there anything else?"  
  
"No, sir. I suppose not."  
  
"Then you may rest. I doubt you got much sleep at Ran's."  
  
"Sir, I ---"  
  
"I was kidding."  
  
"O --- oh. Sorry, sir. Good day, sir."  
  
Shinigami began to walk away.  
  
"Shinigami."  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"We have a mission soon. She is a witch. Make her the magician. She will pull through."  
  
Shinigami felt a hint of a smile at his lips for an unknown reason. "Yes, sir."  
  
Duat watched Shinigami's retreating back. Shinigami knew something, whether it had surfaced or not. Perhaps he may finally be of some use to them.  
  
-----  
  
"It is time for a mission," Nyx said in her forever soft voice as she knocked on Shinigami's door.  
  
Shinigami lay for a while, staring at the ceiling, before he finally got up and went to a large circular room where all the other Agents were. He took his normal place beside Duat, then whispered to him, "Where's Ran?"  
  
As if on cue, Ran burst in through the doors and looked around the cold, quiet room. Nyx followed her, guiding her to a spot beside Shinigami before taking her own place on the other side of Duat.  
  
"We must help Persephone conquer her enemies, children," Duat began slowly, motioning to a black-robed woman in tears. "They will be known to you simply by A and B. Shinigami, you will lead a team to swiftly kill A. Nyx, you shall do the same with B. Only pick the people you need to go on this mission. It may be dangerous. The wizards are very powerful. I must be leaving now. I will give you further instructions after the groups have been decided." With that, Duat stood up and left, black robes sweeping across the floor behind him.  
  
"Shinigami. What does he mean?"  
  
Shinigami smiled at Ran. "You'll be on my team. You'll see."  
  
Ran grinned and nodded. "Good."  
  
Shinigami blushed at her smile. 'Wait . . . what? I can't get close to her. I can't.'  
  
'I can't.'  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	9. Progression

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
Hermione looked at Shinigami curiously. He was so much more . . . distant than he was before. Here she was, with two other Agents, and Shinigami hadn't looked at her. At all. What was wrong?  
  
"And that is it. You may leave."  
  
The two others stood up to leave and Hermione followed suit. One glanced at her carefully before walking away slowly.  
  
"Do you understand?"  
  
Hermione turned to see Shinigami watching her. "I am a bit confused."  
  
"You are the magician. I know you are a witch. Duat told me."  
  
"Then what do I do?" Hermione said coyly. 'Wait, what am I doing?'  
  
Shinigami felt color rise to his cheeks. 'Ignore it.' He swallowed and focused on the explanation. "You must cast spells to help us defeat the target. You must distract the target's attention, especially from Nemesis."  
  
"Nemesis?"  
  
"The Killer."  
  
"Killer . . . ?"  
  
"Yes, Killer. Nemesis is the best Killer in Vengeance. We're lucky to have her. Nemesis will be the one on the team that actually kills the target. You must distract the target's attention from her."  
  
"I see . . . and the other?"  
  
"Honir. He will be the Lookout, the one who surveys the area and tells us who to look out for and when."  
  
"And you?"  
  
"The Leader. I basically run the mission." Shinigami sighed. "The Leader always works with the Magician, so we will be working side by side through the entire thing."  
  
"Is that a bad thing?"  
  
'You had to ask, didn't you? You just had to . . .'  
  
-----  
  
"You will sleep in here."  
  
Hermione looked up to see the girl, Nyx, motioning into a room. "Thank you."  
  
Nyx nodded silently and waited for Hermione to step into the room.  
  
"So what is next for you?"  
  
Hermione jumped at the sound of Nyx's silken voice. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Shinigami."  
  
Hermione felt shivers run down her spine from the name, yet ignored them. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You know what I mean, Ran."  
  
"I am afraid I do not," Hermione lied.  
  
Nyx snorted quietly. "Do you think we have not noticed?"  
  
Hermione watched as Nyx began to pace the room.  
  
"Duat may not have noticed but he has no perception of emotions other than hatred and anger. Honir has been distracted by his feelings for Nemesis and fails to see all else. But I . . . yes, I see.  
  
"Masks may cover our faces but they cannot hide our true emotions. And sometimes we are all to blind to see it . . . or we refuse."  
  
Hermione felt her hands shaking.  
  
Nyx smiled malevolently. "I assume this means I am correct."  
  
Hermione glared at Nyx.  
  
"I suppose I am no longer wanted here. The truth can sometimes be hard to bear. I will leave now . . . and do not think your feelings are unrequited."  
  
Nyx stealthily left, smiling at her triumph.  
  
'That bitch . . .' Hermione thought in her fury. Then a thought struck her suddenly, the thought she was too scared to face.  
  
'Why am I so angry if she told a lie? Or . . . is it a lie?'  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	10. Preparation

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
Nyx left quietly. She had done her duty. She had showed Ran what she knew; it may help. It may help her and Shinigami. It would be so much easier to have a couple already together than two people constantly flirting.  
  
Nyx felt tears rise slowly, dangerously to her eyes. Her romance . . . her betrayal. Tied so closely together . . .  
  
They were the same.  
  
-----  
  
Nemesis sharpened her swords and checked her threads. She needed to prepare. Battle was slowly nearing.  
  
She looked around her room. Katanas, daggers, swords, bows, arrows, poisons, curses. They all lined the walls, battle ready. Violence: her poison, her addiction.  
  
Addicted because of her betrayal.  
  
-----  
  
Honir sighed. Nemesis . . . she was so strange. Sometimes she would be so open with him, yet other times she would be so distant. She would be so kind, so generous, so courageous. And then she would be so mysterious, so cold, so detached.  
  
He could tell the way he looked at her . . . thirsting, hungering for her touch. Waiting, waiting to be held and to hold her in his arms. But most of all, the tenderness, the kindness, the compassion, the empathy that one reserves only for one they love. The desperation of living without them. The impatience of living so long without them knowing the love. The desire . . .  
  
Honir sighed, then jumped. It was . . .  
  
It was the way Shinigami looked at Ran.  
  
-----  
  
Duat sat, cold. His office always had a chill in it. The chill running down his spine. It was comforting. It was relaxing. It was necessary.  
  
The black robes covered his face, the veil masking his true identity. The black carried around his room. Black: the color of his soul, the darkness beyond.  
  
Duat grinned. He had killed too many to live happily. He had learned to find strength in depression, in misery. He had learned to find revenge. And thus he carved out this organization, merely a tool to help himself (and, at times, others like him) to find strength in the darkness. To embrace the depth beyond life . . .  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Shinigami walked in. "Duat."  
  
"Yes my son," Duat answered, sighing.  
  
"I do not know what to do."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I do not know what to do," Shinigami repeated.  
  
"What are you talking about, Shinigami?"  
  
"I --- I don't know if I can work with Ran."  
  
Duat was deeply confused. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I don't think I can work with her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"That --- that's the thing, sir. I don't know."  
  
"I will not let you take someone off your mission without a valid reason."  
  
"But, I ---" Shinigami pleaded. His voice grew quiet. "Sir, every time I'm near her, something happens . . . something clicks. And it shouldn't. Not now. Not ever. Not with all the pain. It's not right."  
  
"Shinigami," Duat said softly. "I will not let you take Ran off this mission simply because you are feeling awkward. She will help you."  
  
"But I don't --- I don't think that I can handle it."  
  
"Shinigami, do you know how childish you sound?"  
  
Shinigami looked down, ashamed. "I am sorry, sir. I will deal with it on my own."  
  
"Good. The mission is tonight. I suggest you prepare rather than deal with worthless feelings."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
Duat watched him leave. That was odd. Shinigami, his perfect soldier, having emotional troubles? Of course, everyone pained and betrayed had emotional troubles . . . but not like that. He had not come across it before.  
  
Was there something wrong with him? Duat didn't want to have to pull his best warrior out of Vengeance, and they were already lacking decent numbers of members anyway . . . no, he could sort this out on his own.  
  
He'd better.  
  
-----  
  
Shinigami walked slowly back to his room. Duat hadn't helped. But it was his problem and he needed to get over it.  
  
He saw Ran walk out of her room. He felt his eyes widen and he looked down.  
  
"Shinigami?"  
  
Shit, she recognized me, he thought. He forced a smile. "Hello, Ran."  
  
She smiled. Oh, that smile. "I was hoping to get a snack. Where's the kitchen?"  
  
"Down the hall to the left."  
  
"Do they have any chocolate?"  
  
Shinigami grinned. "Are you a chocolate freak too?"  
  
"Definitely. Can't live without it!"  
  
"Me too. I might have to come with you." Shinigami smiled.  
  
Then he stopped himself. This was what got him in trouble the first time. He couldn't let this take over his life.  
  
Ran started off toward the kitchen then stopped when she saw Shinigami merely standing. "Aren't you coming?"  
  
"On second thought I'm going to sleep for a bit before the mission. Just to get some rest."  
  
"Um . . . alright. I'll see you later then."  
  
"Alright. Bye."  
  
Shinigami turned and left for his room. The guilt was already beginning to penetrate the excuse. He had just lied to her . . . to get away from her. And the thing he wanted most was to be beside her. But one question remained unanswered: why?  
  
-----  
  
Hermione wandered off, confused. Before he seemed . . . he seemed so nice. And he seemed to want to be with her --- or at least, go to the kitchen with her. But why didn't he?  
  
Hurt began to fill her heart. He hurt her. But he didn't mean anything important . . . so why was she so upset?  
  
Turning away from the kitchen, Hermione headed back to her room and got out her pen and paper as she usually did. She began to write.  
  
Distant  
  
Never like he was before  
  
I fear that he will never  
  
Come close to me again  
  
He's distant  
  
And cold  
  
From afar I watch him  
  
But he won't let me near  
  
Never let me near  
  
Never  
  
Let me  
  
Near.  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	11. Surprise

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
A/N: Thanks so much to Raven for the wonderful descriptions! Read her story on fictionpress, the Seventh Star! It's fantastic!  
  
~+~  
  
"It's not like that, you know."  
  
Shinigami looked up, startled, to see Nyx leaning on the doorway to his room.  
  
"What's not like that?"  
  
"She loves you too."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Ran."  
  
Shinigami was shocked, then infuriated. He sprang up from his bed and slammed the door shut, leaving Nyx in the room. Through clenched teeth, he told her, "I --- don't --- know --- what --- you're --- talking --- about."  
  
"Then what did you do that for?" Nyx smiled slyly. "There would be no point to get angry."  
  
"Maybe I don't like people talking behind my back about something they know nothing about," Shinigami growled.  
  
"Maybe you don't like hearing the truth."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You and Ran. You love each other. It's painfully obvious to me."  
  
"Stop spreading lies. You don't know anything."  
  
"I thought you were more intelligent than this, Shinigami," Nyx said mockingly. "Duat's little pet."  
  
Shinigami glared at her.  
  
"Of course, I don't blame you if you're upset. I only want you to realize the truth. Flirting can be so annoying," she added lazily.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Ah, love . . . such a shallow emotion," Nyx said with a wave of her hand. "It ties us around its little finger without us even knowing it. It has such a powerful rule over us . . . and those who try not to let it are only sucked in even further. I suggest you don't resist."  
  
"R-resist?"  
  
"Shinigami. She loves you. Just like you love her. You have to be able to see that."  
  
"I love her," he admitted finally. "But she doesn't love me."  
  
"You may not think so, but she does. I can see it. Just like I see your love for her."  
  
"How can you see love?"  
  
Nyx sighed. "You lovers are so predictable. You don't realize how easy it is to tell. It's really pathetic."  
  
Shinigami snorted.  
  
"Just don't resist. Embrace Ran. Both literally and metaphorically." Nyx grinned.  
  
Shinigami smirked. "Did the all-powerful, too-worthy, queen bitch Nyx actually crack a joke?"  
  
Nyx smirked, eyebrow twitching. "You'd be surprised."  
  
-----  
  
Hermione awoke to a soft knocking on her door. She looked up to see Shinigami peering in, watching her sleep.  
  
He looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, just . . . the mission's starting. I need you."  
  
Hermione raised an eyebrow, trying to ignore the pleasure at what he said.  
  
"Oh, I mean," Shinigami added, realizing his word choice, "for the group."  
  
Hermione felt her face fall. 'Thank God for the mask.'  
  
She stepped out in the hallway. Nemesis and Honir were already there, trying not to look at each other. Their feelings were painfully obvious. Hermione only hoped hers were not as clear.  
  
Shinigami looked at the three Agents standing before him. "You all know what you are supposed to do. Honir, take Nemesis's hand. Ran, take mine. Honir and I know where to Apparate to. Then we will start the mission. Ran and I will stay on the fourth highest branch of the cedar tree in the front. Honir, you stay on the roof; Nemesis, you stay close to the house. We will strike in an hour."  
  
"Why wait?" Nemesis asked. Her voice was cold and hard, and yet curious.  
  
"We must discover the target's weaknesses. Ran must also observe how the other team works."  
  
Nemesis nodded curtly.  
  
"Let us go." Shinigami took Ran's hand and Apparated.  
  
-----  
  
Hermione felt the familiar feeling of Apparating. It had been a long time since she had done so . . . ever since the Betrayal.  
  
Shinigami glanced at her. "Are you alright?"  
  
Hermione looked down from his familiar penetrating stare. "I'm fine."  
  
Shinigami looked out. "They're here."  
  
Hermione jerked her head up. She saw more agents of Vengeance appear. This must be the other team. She saw Nyx and another agent hop onto the roof. Nyx glanced at them and seemed to be smiling under her dark hood. Hermione remembered their earlier conversation . . . what was it she had said when she left?  
  
"The truth can sometimes be hard to bear. I will leave now . . . and do not think your feelings are unrequited."  
  
Yes, Nyx had said that. But the feelings are not unrequited? What did that mean?  
  
"Watch."  
  
Hermione jumped as Shinigami whispered to her. "What am I supposed to be watching?"  
  
"Them."  
  
Hermione focused on Nyx and the three other team members. One positioned herself on the roof opposite Honir: she must be the Lookout. Nyx and another jumped to hide behind the bushes: this must be the Leader and the Magician. The last hid in a tree, eyes darting. This was the Killer.  
  
"I think I understand it."  
  
Shinigami looked out of the corner of his eye at Hermione. "Do you understand it enough to do it though?"  
  
"Yes, I believe I do."  
  
Shinigami sighed, and then motioned for Honir and Nemesis to begin. They glanced at each other, confused, but began the mission.  
  
-----  
  
Honir looked out. The coast was clear. He motioned to Nemesis. He watched as Nemesis moved slowly, stealthily, peering into windows until she motioned to him. The target was in there.  
  
-----  
  
"Ran."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Blast the window apart."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do it."  
  
She did it.  
  
-----  
  
Nemesis felt blood coat her hands from newly carved cuts. Shards of glass tore at her cloak. She looked back. Ran was powerful. Very powerful.  
  
The target was watching the window fearfully. She could not attack when the target was watching so closely. She put her back to the house and looked at Shinigami and Ran. She mouthed something.  
  
Other window.  
  
-----  
  
"Ran."  
  
"Yes, Shinigami?"  
  
"Do the same to the other window."  
  
She did not question.  
  
She did it.  
  
-----  
  
Honir saw.  
  
He saw Nemesis wince as every shard of glass hit her. He saw the fresh blood ooze out of her wounds. He saw the fearless, painless look on her face. He saw her determination.  
  
He saw Ran's wand wave. He saw her concentration. He saw the destruction of the window.  
  
And the fright . . . he saw the target's fright.  
  
-----  
  
The target screamed shrilly. It was a man though he sounded much like a little girl, Nemesis thought wryly as she jumped out of the bushes, ignoring the crimson liquid -- her blood -- running down her face from the open wound on her forehead. Wiping it out of her eyes with her black, now stained, sleeve, she unsheathed her katana, silver, bright metal glinting in the target's eyes.  
  
One hit was all it took.  
  
He fell softly to the ground.  
  
-----  
  
Hermione watched in amazement. Nemesis was so smooth, so quick, and yet so vicious. She stared fixed at the dead body of the target. The poor man. What did he do to deserve this?  
  
Apparating, as if pulling a muscle she hadn't used since she was an infant, she went down to the man. She felt Shinigami Apparate beside her.  
  
"Ran, what are you doing?" His hand found her shaking shoulder. She turned from him to the body.  
  
It seemed like someone had ripper her heart out of her breasts at what she saw. Her heart stopped and it felt like a cold clasping hand was holding her heart. Her lungs became heavy and it felt like her legs had turned to iron. Her eyes widened and she gasped. Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh my God . . . what have we done . . ."  
  
"Ran, what is it?" Shinigami asked insistently.  
  
"Ron!"  
  
~+~  
  
A/N: I hope you don't kill me. Please don't. I like the change in events. Don't see it often, do you?  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


	12. The First Revelation

FACES  
  
~+~  
  
A/N: Thanks to my beta readers! I love you guys!  
  
~+~  
  
How did she know Ron?  
  
Shinigami felt so many emotions run through him. He knew Ron Weasley. He knew he was the target. He didn't think it would be any big deal. He thought withholding it from Ran might be good, might be best for her. It had been hard for him to deal with but . . . he couldn't stand to see her cry.  
  
Honir Apparated by the body. He saw who it was and fought back tears, looking away. He refused to sob. He refused to cry, but the tears came whatever he wanted to do. "I --- knew --- him," he choked out.  
  
"Me too," Hermione said, tears sliding silently, gently down her face.  
  
Shinigami took out his wand and cast a spell, stopping time. He leaned down to Ran and whispered softly in her ear, "Apparate back when you can. No one can disturb you now."  
  
He Disapparated with a crack of a whip, and was gone.  
  
-----  
  
"Hermione."  
  
Hermione looked up for a second on reflex before she nearly jumped out of her skin. "You recognize me?"  
  
"Yes," Honir told her gently. His face was still wet with tears over Ron's death. "I know you. And I know Ron."  
  
Hermione felt her eyes grow wide. Honir was someone she knew?  
  
-----  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
Shinigami glanced up at the familiar black-hooded figure sweeping into his room. "Who, sir?"  
  
"Ran," Duat answered impatiently.  
  
"She knew the target."  
  
"I knew that."  
  
Shinigami scowled at his master for the first time. "And you sent her on the mission?"  
  
"Yes. This was a chance to see if she could handle missions."  
  
"This was a chance for her heart to break!" Shinigami yelled. "How could you be so cruel and heartless?"  
  
Duat's eyes narrowed. "I expected more insight from you, of all people, Shinigami. Vengeance has no time to worry about petty emotions."  
  
"Petty emotions," Shinigami growled. "Perhaps you didn't see her eyes, or the tears falling out from them as she looked on his cold, dead body!"  
  
"I watched from afar, as you watched from near. However, it is apparent that it had an entirely different affect on you."  
  
"If you didn't care . . ." Shinigami's mouth grew dry as he knew what he was going to, what he had to say next. "I'm glad it was different."  
  
Duat's frown grew deeper. "Shinigami, frankly, I expected more of you."  
  
"And I you."  
  
Duat left the room, long black robes sweeping from his feet.  
  
Shinigami stared coldly at his retreating back.  
  
-----  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
Honir looked at the motionless body. He had to tell her. This was Hermione . . . the girl he once loved.  
  
Slowly, steadily, he removed the mask hiding his identity . . .  
  
"H-Harry?"  
  
~+~  
  
LAHAK  
  
Serenity 


End file.
